


No Smoke

by Rirren



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bad Touch Conversation, Galaxy Garrison, Gen, Implied/Referenced Underage Relationship(s), Minor Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Nonnies Made Me Do It, Pre-Canon, it's all implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-20 08:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20224651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rirren/pseuds/Rirren
Summary: Adam tries to confront the rumours around Shiro and Keith.





	No Smoke

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt "finding out your friend is fucking a teenaged minor" but nothing is explicitly stated.

"How could you even think that about me?"

"I'm just telling you how it looks. The favoritism rumors have been going around for a while and now I hear he's been staying overnight? You didn't even tell me!"

"There's nothing to tell! He doesn't have any family of his own, and he hasn't made any friends yet. I don't see the issue."

"There's a line, Takashi. Between a concerned adult and, and what you're doing."

There's silence. Shiro's shoulders are trembling; he clenches his fists as he looks down and then releases the tension.

"He's just a friend. He's a kid that I saw needed help and I wanted to give that to him."

"I know," says Adam, and it's a lie. His stomach is twisting but he can't tell if Shiro is telling the truth—he's never been able to tell. "I know that's all you're doing but ... he's fifteen. I've seen the way he looks at you. He's infatuated. You're probably the only adult that's given him any positive attention since his dad died. But you can't—you have to set some boundaries—"

Shiro looks away.

"—You have to leave him some space to make friends his own age," he pleads, trying to catch Shiro's eye.

"I do."

"Takashi—"

"You know what it would do to him if I abandoned him?"

"I'm not asking you to. I'm _worried_. It doesn't look good—"

"I don't care about that," says Shiro flatly. 'Topic over', his tone reads. "I've heard your concerns, okay?" His shoulders collapse, revealing the tiredness in his face. "I'm going to bed."

And he turns without even looking back.

*

Adam catches up with Keith the next day after his last class. He turns when Adam calls his name, looking sullen (which is usual—he never warmed up to Adam) but not nervous. Good. Shiro must not have told him.

"Keith. It's been a while. I just wanted to talk to you." 

Adam tries to keep it light but Keith's shoulders go rigid when Adam leads them into an empty classroom. He sits on a desk and motions for Keith to sit. Keith stays standing. There are scripts for these sort of events but he has a feeling none of them will work on Keith.

"I heard you stayed over last weekend."

Keith shoots him a piercing glare from under his hair.

"That's cool. Did you get up to much?"

Keith shrugs.

"Did you watch a movie, or play some games or...?"

Keith tosses his hair out of his face and looks Adam straight in the eye.

"We did age-appropriate activities," he says. There's the hint of a smirk in the corner of his mouth.

Adam brushes off the sarcasm. "Sure. Listen. I know Shiro can be... " He searches for a word. "...pretty affectionate sometimes but if he ever does something to make you uncomfortable, you can always tell me or any of the other teachers."

Keith's eyes sharpen as he realizes what Adam is getting at.

"Nothing Shiro does makes me uncomfortable."

He sounds confident but his hackles have gone up, and as much as he's trying to projecting how much he doesn't care, he looks cornered.

Adam nods. "He's helped you out a lot, but that doesn't mean you have to let—"

"I don't have to listen to this shit!" Keith explodes. "I've heard this before, you don't actually care!"

He's got his teeth bared, his fists clenched by his side. He looks like he's a second away from storming out of the room. Adam tries to stay as still and calm as possible in the face of Keith's anger. 

"Okay..." he says, but he hasn't got the knack like Shiro.

"No, not okay! You're only saying this because you're jealous!"

"Keith," says Adam, in genuine surprise.

"You're jealous because Shiro likes me more!"

He throws it out with all the sureness and immaturity of a teenager, and still manages to land a hit right on a worry that Adam has been trying to quash, even as his relationship with Shiro has been growing more strained.

"That's not relevant," he forces out. "I'm just saying, if you want someone to talk to—"

"I don't!"

"That's fine, then. But I'd like you to talk to someone."

Keith freezes at that. His chest heaves and his eyes dart around the room. He shakes his head, wild hair flying.

"I won't talk to anyone. And I'll—I'll say you touched me if you make me."

Adam's mouth goes slack with shock. Keith gains a little more confidence at this, like he's struck on a real 'gotcha'.

"And everyone saw you take me into an empty classroom."

Adam puts his hand on his face and takes a deep breath. He can't deal with this. He can't deal with either of them. 

"All right," he says finally. "Well, great talk, Keith."

He gets up, feeling exhausted, and leaves the room. They're welcome to each other.


End file.
